Top stories

Monday, January 14, 2013

UK to aid France in Terrorizing Mali with Intervention

Britain has announced it will provide France with logistical support
during its Mali intervention as French forces stepped up airstrikes
against Islamist militants fighting government troops in the North
African country. The British terrorist prime minister has welcomed France’s decision to intervene in the North African country to "help" the Malian army halt a rebel advance towards the capital Bamako.

"The
Prime Minister has agreed that the UK will provide logistical military
assistance to help transport foreign troops and equipment quickly to
Mali," David Cameron's office said in a statement on Saturday,
adding that London is not going to deploy British personnel in a combat
role. Downing Street said two military transport planes would be deployed, AFP says. Over
100 rebels and dozens of Malian + French troops have been killed as Malian troops backed by the
French military fought for control of the strategic town of Konna.

Meanwhile, Paris announced on Saturday that a French pilot had been killed in an air raid over Konna. "During this intense combat, one of our pilots… was fatally wounded,"
French Defense Minister Jean

-Yves Le Drian said in a statement. The
pilot was wounded during the operation and later died in hospital. This
comes just two days after France sent hundreds of troops to its former
colony. The West African regional bloc ECOWAS, will begin sending
troops to Mali on Monday.

French airstrikes overnight pushed back Islamist rebels from Konna and destroyed a rebel command center, Le Drian said. The deployment of French troops has been met with anger from Islamist group Ansar Dine, which said the move will have “consequences for French citizens in the Muslim world.” Ansar Dine is fighting on the frontline of the battle of Konna. “We are actually in Konna for jihad," an Ansar Dine spokesperson told AFP on Friday.

French
President Francois Hollande says the country will raise its domestic
terror threat level as a result of the military operations. He promised
to increase protection at public buildings and transportation networks. France
decided to take military action after a plea from Mali’s president, and
says the intervention will last as long as necessary. However, many
critics say France may have had its own motivations for deploying troops
in the country.

On Thursday, the UN Security Council called for “rapid deployment” of international forces in Mali to combat the Islamist militants in the north of the country. Given the latest developments in the West African country, the members of the UNSC “expressed their determination to pursue the full implementation”
of its resolutions on Mali, in particular Resolution 2085, adopted in
December, which authorizes the deployment of over 3,000 African-led
international troops. The support force approved by the UN had not been expected to be deployed until September 2013.

Ansar
Dine and Mujao have controlled most of northern Mali since last April.
They formed an alliance with Tuareg rebels following a military coup in
March. However, their alliance quickly collapsed, with the
Islamists capturing the area's urban centers and marginalizing the
Tuareg rebels.